KINGSTON, Tenn., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Drinking water remains safe after a large spill of coal ash from a retaining pond at a Tennessee power plant, U.S. officials said Friday.
However, the Environmental Protection Agency said tests show there are high levels of arsenic in the sludge, CNN reported.
Leslie Sims, coordinator for the EPA, said preliminary tests of wells and municipal water show no hazardous levels of toxins. Kingston Mayor Troy Beets was so eager to demonstrate the water's safety that he drank some at a news conference.
"I'm gonna be fine," he said.
The Dec. 22 spill sent 1 billion gallons of ash and sludge cascading over 300 acres after a dike at a Tennessee Valley Authority plant in Kingston collapsed. Three homes were destroyed and 12 others damaged.
Residents of the area are concerned about blowing ash as the sludge dries. Bob Summers, the Tennessee Valley Authority operations section chief, said the agency will use planting to hold the ash in place, rather than try to pick it up.
